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has written to the council seeking clarification of concerns about the tender. Highland Airways, he says, was the only bidder not to contact him about fuel availability, prices and associated charges. He claims Highland Airways’ bid was about one-third the sum submitted by another bidder, which raises Briefings➜ G G G G G G G G questions either about HA costings or the other bidder’s sanity. He adds: “HA had no suitable aircraft, no suitably qualified pilots, no suitable engineering and no authority from the CAA to operate the type of aircraft required for the contract.” On the face of it, he says, Highland Airways fail to meet the terms of the tender joke wears thin document on half a dozen counts. None of this would amount to a hill of beans were it not for the fact that the council seems to have little idea of what it’s playing at. So far its scheme has cost £9 million in tax money and has driven away half the traffic at Oban, and it will end up with a service it could have run without spending a single penny. Oban airfield has been ‘upgraded’ to a standard which means it will continue to be a millstone on the taxpayer for all time. Despite its cost, the ‘upgrade’ has made the airfield less useful, with a cross-runway lost and the main runway reduced to 800m because of ‘drainage difficulties’. The airfield is still not licensed, the fire station is not in use, and the council is threatening legal action against the English company contracted to provide the fire engine

Oban airfield - £9 million spent and no solution in sight

he Oban saga (see GA passim) grinds on, contract awarded to Highland Airways to – a suit which is reciprocated. Oban airfield Tand becomes less comical by the day. The operate a service from from Oban to the islands now has 12 staff where one used to do. airport’s fuel provider Paul Keegan has written of and , which it is said will be Keegan has been a voice for sanity throughout to the Scottish Transport Minister Stewart subsidised to the tune of £500,000 by the and has made himself extremely unpopular by Stevenson pointing out that Scottish government. The islands’ airfields have pointing out the gaping holes in the plot. Council’s grandiose plans for scheduled been expensively improved but their runways Argyll and Bute councillors have been commercial services out of Oban are a hugely have not been lengthened, which means only a advised by the council’s head of legal services expensive pipedream. BN Islander can be used on the routes. While Susan Mair not to comment on contractual Keegan has taken up the issue of the Highland Airways is a reputable airline, Keegan matters. – Pat Malone

was a de Havilland D.H.9, registered in July Registrations top 50,000 1919. The CAA insists that the 30,000 cancelled registrations cannot be used again for the avoidance of confusion. They have he Civil Aviation Authority has issued the Cessna 152 (291), Cessna 150 (276) and some way to go before they run out of letters T50,000th registration to be allocated to a Robinson R22 (235) – if they use them all, about 450,000 are UK aircraft since the system began in 1919. The first UK-registered aircraft – G-EAAA – available. The registration, G-MITC, was given to a Robinson R44 Raven II owned by HeliAir. The CAA’s statistics show that there are 19,281 aircraft in the UK fleet, including 10,342 fixed wing aircraft, 4,360 microlights, 1,868 balloons, 1,467 helicopters, 551 gliders and 273 gyroplanes. How many are active is unknown, but a ballpark figure of something in excess of 10,000 has been postulated. It’s interesting to note how general aviation aircraft massively outnumber commercial aircraft on the register. The most numerous airliner, the Boeing 737, is represented 164 times on the register. On the other hand, the six most popular aircraft types are the Piper PA-28 (1,048 aircraft), Cessna 172 (400), Robinson R44 (330),

Right: HeliAir’s John Michalakis accepts the 50,000th registration from CAA airworthiness surveyors Mike Landry and Paul Johnson

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Bristow Helicopter search and rescue pilot Marjolijn de Greef from Holland told how she herself had to be rescued from the North Sea after an hour in the water without a life jacket when the cyclic controls of her Puma helicopter jammed. Although as duty captain, she had had to ditch on a cold winter’s night with the temperature of the water at 9º, everyone on board – including the 17 passengers they had airlifted off an oil rig during a black-out – were rescued. After she and her co-pilot were cleared of any suspicion of reckless flying, she returned to duty with no ill effects from the trauma she had endured. Jo Salter, the first woman to fly a fast jet in

Left: Jane Middleton and Susan Thompson flank Lady Thatcher Below: delegates enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at the Women in Aviation Conference Aviation – it’s a woman’s world

Great aviation stories from pilots and engineers, all of them women. Clare Walker reports from the Women in Aviation Conference

aroness Thatcher was the surprise guest of Safety at National Air Traffic Services, said she Bhonour at the opening reception at the had initially wanted to become an ice skater but House of Lords for speakers, delegates and her father, fed up with paying the fees, sponsors of the Aviation and Women in Europe suggested she went to the Air Force Academy Conference – the first to be held in the UK. The which was free! She recalled being left in charge the RAF and now a successful motivational former Prime Minister achieved the near of a Minuteman inter-continental ballistic missile speaker and author, amused delegates with the impossible when her entry silenced dozens of centre when she was “a baby second story of how she solved the problem of flying for women who were busy talking aviation and lieutenant” with the job of designing the human eight hours across the Atlantic in a Tornado networking. interface. From that point onwards, she became without any toilet facilities. The solution was a Lady Thatcher, whose attendance was kept a fascinated with the human aspects of aviation. package of incontinence pads and plastic closely guarded secret, was introduced to as Squadron Leader Sue Freeman, who is in underpants! She advised delegates wanting to many of those present as possible at the charge of ensuring all RAF Tornado F3 pilots are succeed in aviation to “practice the law of reception, sponsored by executive recruitment adhering to the correct standards, described abundance” by having a “glass half-full” company Odgers Ray & Berndston. Jane how she took part in a “quick reaction alert” at approach to life, being positive and having fun. Middleton, chairman of the Conference RAF Leuchars when some Russian aircraft Jenny Payne, Director of Product Marketing Organising Committee, said she was delighted recently appeared on the scene. and Product Analysis at Boeing Commercial to note that Lady Thatcher was as sharp-witted “The Russians seem dreadfully interested in Airplanes, explained how Boeing’s new 787 as ever. what we are doing. I looked at them and they aircraft was more environmentally friendly “There is no doubt that Lady Thatcher’s looked at me and we flew alongside them until because of its use of composites which weigh presence at our reception provided a huge they departed,” she said. less than aluminium, resulting in less fuel burn. inspiration to our conference,” she said. Deanna Amos, an engineer on the Boeing Its Rolls Royce engineers were also more “Although our delegates came from countries as 777 at Heathrow, amused the conference by efficient. Boeing had been working hard to far afield as India, America, Canada, Turkey and describing what it was like working in a overcome passenger problems such as dry eyes, Saudi Arabia, there wasn’t a person there who predominantly male environment. She soon got headaches, fatigue and nausea, she told the wasn’t thrilled to meet one of the world’s most used to having broken nails and oil in her hair audience. Commander Trish Beckman, formerly renowned and most successful women.” as well as having “vanity case” written on her with the US Navy and now a navigator with The conference, which was the third such tool box. She advised delegates never to give up, Boeing, described her role in the 777’s round- event to be organised by the European chapter never to show weakness, adding that women the-world flight, which took her to dozens of of Women in Aviation International, attracted relied on men to give them their break. countries, while triple round-the-world pilot sponsorship from a number of well-known Jennifer Murray showed a series of stunning companies ranging from Boeing, slides from her record dual helicopter flight from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, J P Morgan, Towers Girls’ flying scholarship Pole to Pole. Perrin and Rockwell Collins to Pooleys Flight She paid tribute to her co-pilot Colin Bodill, Instructor School, SEI and Marlborough Aviation pplications are invited from women for the who, despite a broken back and other severe Executive Search. AAmy Johnson Memorial Trust Scholarship, injuries, had saved their lives after they crashed The three-day event began with aviation visits which provides up to £2,000 to help a woman in a whiteout in Antarctica on their first attempt to the Air Accident Investigation Branch and aspiring to a career in aviation. in 2003. “Heroes don’t come bigger than Colin Those eligible include PPLs wishing to obtain Flight Safety International at Farnborough. The Bodill,” she said. “Practically his first words to a CPL/ATPL, and holders of a CPL or frozen ATPL following day, keynote speaker Judith Moreton, who are working towards an instructor rating, me afterwards were ‘We have to get another managing director of Bombardier Skyjet instrument rating or CRM/MCC rating. Helicopter helicopter’!” International, told delegates she was very pilots are eligible. Candidates must be British The Conference was closed by Dr Peggy excited to be addressing a conference almost citizens living permanently in the UK. Closing Chabrian, founder and president of Women in exclusively made up of women – a comment date for applications is February 29, 2008. Aviation International, which has 14,000 echoed by other speakers. The theme of her talk For an application form, send an SAE (C5 size) members. The final day of the conference was a was the importance of understanding different to Mrs ME Tucker, Hon Sec, Amy Johnson visit to the RAFA Shoreham Air Show where cultures to enable aviation companies to win Memorial Trust, 12, Church Lane, Merton Park, delegates were delighted to see Carolyn Grace business in an increasingly competitive world. London SW19 3PD. begin the programme with a beautiful aerobatic Gretchen Burrett, the first female Director of display to music in her Grace Spitfire.

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All at sea with Jamie

amie Furnell has become the first Class From left, Alan Newton, Jamie Furnell, CAA FE Iain McLelland JRating Instructor qualified to teach on both land aeroplanes and seaplanes. His course was run and designed by On-Track Aviation, the only Flying Training Organisation in the UK offering seaplane instructor courses. Training was carried out by Alan Newton, head of training for On-Track, on Loch Earn in using an Aviat Husky A1 Amphibious Seaplane. The course was conducted in two sessions of four days training, which included both ground and air tuition. There was 12 hours of flying training and 33 hours of ground tuition which included Teaching and Learning as well as seaplane operations. When asked why Loch Earn, Alan said: “Seaplane flying in England is restricted to a couple of locations which involve long transit flights. Loch Earn and the surrounding water are only a few minutes flying apart and give the student a variety of water conditions to use.” Jamie, a PPL holder, has been flying seaplanes since 1997 in the UK and USA. Aviation for all Top cadet Thomas Stratton, an 18-year old air cadet from Kent, has capped a year of impressive personal achievement with the award of the elite John Cunningham Trophy as the nation-wide top air cadet for 2007. Thomas was one of a small group selected for a flying scholarship from 125 young cadets from across the UK aspiring to a career in aviation. He trained during the summer holidays at Tayside Aviation (Dundee) where his intensive course of flying and ground training was sponsored by the Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation. He qualified for his NPPL, his overall assessments securing top level points to enable him to clinch the Trophy. The trophy was presented to Thomas by Air Marshal Ian n aeronautical festival organised by Salford University’s Islamic Society Macfadyen, Aand Students’ Union with the anti-racism charity Heartstone aims to Chairman of the challenge stereotypes of black and minority ethnic students and Foundation’s introducing them to aviation. Trustees, at a special award ceremony at The ‘Festival of Flight’ was launched by Mildred Carter, the first African RAF Bentley Priory. American to obtain a pilot’s licence in the Southern US, and her husband “Thomas Stratton is Herbert who was a member of the first black combat air squadron in World an outstanding young War II, the Tuskegee Airmen. cadet” said Air Backing from the government agency Sportsmatch, the RAF, Rolls Royce Marshal Macfadyen. and other organisations will allow 80 students to experience gliding flight “He is destined to next year, and two of them, Salford students Asad Shah and Rozaidah Haji join the RAF and Abd Rahman, will be able to train on powered aircraft later in the year. aspires eventually to Student Activities Officer Usman Ali says: “By bringing the aviation serve as a industry together with people from ethnic minorities, we can really open up Eurofighter Typhoon new opportunities in careers as diverse as engineering or piloting. The pilot. We wish him support we’ve had from pioneers like Herbert and Mildred, and from good fortune in his organisations like the RAF just goes to show how important an issue we’re future career.” addressing.”

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